Why Do Some Insects Produce Their Own Sound Shows?

Some insects like crickets, grasshoppers and cicadas attract mates by making a racket. Cicadas are the loudest. The males spend a lot of time sitting high in trees where they 'chirrup' and sing. It makes this noise using two plates called tymbals that are found on either side of the first segment of its abdomen. It contracts two powerful muscles to make the tymbals vibrate. The tymbals are surrounded by a large airspace inside the shell of the abdomen. This acts as an amplifier, making the sound as loud as possible.

There are about 3000 species of cicada. They usually live in countries that have hot climates. In Europe they are common around the Mediterranean. As well as being famous for the noise they make, cicadas also have an interesting life cycle. The adults die just before winter begins but they lay their eggs first, usually on the branches of a tree. When the eggs hatch, the tiny larvae drop off the branch and onto the ground. They then dig a hole and grow into larger and larger larvae, staying underground until they are ready to emerge as adults. They usually choose a warm summer day for this, and the singing begins again.